Southampton boast one of the best Academy setups in England, with their famous youth ranks producing some of the UK’s top players over the last couple of decades.
From Alan Shearer to Gareth Bale to Adam Lallana and more recently Tyler Dibling, the Saints are intent on developing their own homegrown players.
At the Staplewood campus in Marchwood, the club are now changing things up.
Amid a period of uncertainty at the club regarding their manager, one thing remains consistent. Despite the continued churn of players and statuses in the Premier League and Championship, youth recruitment has stayed key.
An Academy Change
Southampton have split their Academy Manager role in two, promoting former defender Olly Lancashire to lead the Under-17s to U21s while Duncan Fearnhead focuses on the U9s to U16s, according to Training Ground Guru.
The publication reports that the pair form a three-person academy leadership team with Head of Academy Operations Kirsty Whitton, who is now handling the business side of the Category One Academy.
It’s an interesting change for the Saints Academy, and is likely to streamline roles for staff in the Saints setup. With each individual focusing on a smaller cohort, Lancashire and Fearnhead may have better focus on all the players at their disposal.
Southampton’s youth development has continued to pay off in recent years after a short period of stagnation. Tyler Dibling (now of Everton), Alejandro Gomes Rodriguez (now of Lyon) and Sam Amo-Ameyaw (now of Strasbourg) are recent examples, but the club will be hoping to keep hold of prospects longer term, like midfielder Cam Bragg.
The next prospects
Some of Southampton’s stars of the future may currently be in their setup, and new Academy Managers Olly Lancashire and Duncan Fearnhead will offer support for players looking to make the grade.
While there are no current obvious next superstars, there are players at the club’s disposal who have made it as far as the Under-21s and will next look for a chance under ex-U21s boss Tonda Eckert with the first team.
Moses Sesay is having an excellent start to his season on loan at Colchester United, while winger Sufianu Sillah Dibaga is a player who caught attention in a 57-minute appearance in the FA Cup against Leicester City last season.
Striker Nick Oyekunle is out on loan at Leyton Orient and will be looking for a positive season in League One before challenging for a Southampton start in the future.
The club has options in abundance, and the newest Academy changes will have been made with a view to going from strength to strength in one of the finest youth setups there is.
Add us as a preferred source on Google